Deb Plays Ball

Deb:

A tennis ball! I found an old tennis ball in the garage and thought, Freckles might enjoy this! I brought it into the house and cleaned it up a bit. Rushing into the living room with my new prize, I saw Freckles resting on the floor. I approached slowly and then rolled the ball to her. It stopped right next to her front leg.

To say that Freckles is cautious about new things would be an understatement. She sniffed the ball, but didn’t touch it. It didn’t seem to phase her a bit that this strange new wonder had rolled up next to her.

I reached over and snatched the ball, bouncing it a few times to try to grab her interest. This time when I rolled it, she reacted!

A New Ball

Freckles:

As the High-Voiced One approached, I tried to figure out what she clutched in her hand. It was round like my jingle ball, but appeared to be smaller and smoother. I pretended to be disinterested, but inside I remained curious. What could she have in mind?

She squatted down a short distance from where I rested. She said something and then rolled the object toward me. It was a ball, and it stopped right beside me. Hmmmm, I thought. What does she expect me to do with that?

Deb Begins a Search

Deb:

After Freckles jumped and hopped all over the room in an attempt to shake off the Honey Bunches of Oats that had flipped onto her back during her little tantrum, she located her twine jingle ball and tossed it into the air several times. Exhausted by all of her activity, she stretched out beside the box and rested.

Freckles' total indifference toward the box forced me to think. I needed to come up with a better idea for something to keep her interest. It had become my mission to discover something new to fascinate her and keep her happy. I decided to offer her several items to see if anything caught her attention. I wandered the house in search of the first item.

What's She Up to Now?

Freckles:

I jumped, hopped, and binkied around the room until I'd shaken off all of the sweet treat from my back. Once the sweet treat was scattered throughout the clearing, I noticed my ball sitting on the floor near the box. Maybe a few tosses of the ball could take my mind off the question of the box's purpose. The silly jingling sound the ball made when I flung it into the air soothed me and made me laugh. Soon, I was in a much better mood. I rested in the middle of the clearing and chewed happily on the rough surface of the ball.

I was drifting off into a well-deserved sleep, when I heard a noise coming my way from down the tunnel. I opened my eyes and looked up. The high-voiced held something in her hand and talked to me as she came in my direction. What was she up to this time?

Disapproval and Rejection

Deb:

Freckles had examined the box from every possible angle. She had tasted the corners and ripped pieces of the label to chew. She had stuck her head inside to rearrange the towels I'd placed there for her comfort. After all of that, she just hopped away from the box and never went inside. She hardly even looked at it again. Total rejection.

Maybe she was hungry.
Maybe she was tired.
Maybe she was angry (especially after she flipped her dish and wound up with Honey Bunches of Oats on her back!)

Possibly, it was a combination of all of those things. All I know for sure is that she's a bunny -- and they make their own rules. They like what they want to like and disapprove of what they choose to disapprove. Freckles obviously disapproved of the box.

Thank You!

The picture we posted yesterday of Archi Ann is from Archi's Antics blog. It is one of our favorites, because she's looking right into the camera, and even though we know her foot is kind of funky, we like to believe that she's waving at us!

We have been amazed at how hard Archi Ann's death hit us. We've been thinking of her and of Carri Ann a lot the past few days. We know how much it hurts to lose someone we've been close to and that includes the animals we love and blog about!

We've never met many of the people and animals who comment on our blog, but somehow we've built a little community here. Our "virtual" friendships have developed into real feelings, and we've begun to care about the human beings behind the blogs that we frequent.

Anyway, we want to take a moment to say "thanks" to everyone for visiting us and sharing our stories! You mean a lot to us! Please come back often!

Freckles & Deb

Good-Bye, Archi Ann!

We are taking a day away from our story to say a sad farewell to our dear friend Archi Ann, who went to the Rainbow Bridge on Sunday. Spunky little Archi Ann and her mum Carri Ann have commented frequently here. You can read more about Archi Ann at her blog (which Archi's Mum says she will keep up as a tribute to Archi Ann.)

Archi Ann was a "special needs" bunny. She had an accident when she was young and her front legs healed differently. But, she never let her "funky legs" hold her back. From a posting on her blog in February 2007, she said, "My mom said I look like I'm doing the breast stroke when I walk. Last fall I fell off my shelf and now my left leg points backwards, it doesn't really work at all anymore. I make up for it with my bunnitude." And, the one thing that Archi Ann had in abunn-dance was bunnitude!

We will miss you, Archi Ann! You went to the Bridge having made many friends. You were loved!

~~~~~~~~~

P.S. There is a beautiful tribute to Archi Ann at The Qi Papers blog with a wonderful picture Diana drew of a winged Archi Ann flying free.

Flying Sweet Treat

Freckles:

From a distance the box looked no different. I could not fathom its purpose. My growling stomach suggested I mull the situation over while eating. I hopped to my plate where fresh green leaves and yellow flowers, as well as a delicious sweet treat awaited me.

I thought and thought and thought some more about the box. My frustration soon became too large for my brain, and I stamped my foot to release some if it. Unfortunately, my foot hit the food container and some of the sweet treat flew into the air, landing on my back. How annoying!

Freckles Surprises Deb

Deb:

After Freckles chewed up the piece of label she had torn from the box, she hopped away to the other side of the room. From a distance she eyed the box suspiciously. Oh, my little Freckles, why must you be so worried that we are trying to trick you? Why can’t you just accept what we offer at face value?

She must have decided that the label had not been enough food to satisfy her. She jumped to her food plate and started eating the dandelions I had previously picked for her. She discovered the Honey Bunches of Oats I’d placed on her dish as a surprise and started gobbling them up. Then, Freckles did something so surprising that I laughed out loud!

A Taste and a Hop

Freckles:

A taste of the box offered nothing in the way of hints as to its origins. It was neither sweet nor sour, unpleasant nor enjoyable, satisfying nor unacceptable. I decided to try again and moved to another section, ripping a piece from the box with my teeth. I plopped on the ground and chewed slowly, savoring every bite. Still nothing.

There must be some clue to the purpose of this box within the box itself. I just had to figure out what it was. Maybe I needed to examine the box from a distance. I hopped away from it and turned.

A Total Assessment of the Situation

Deb:

Freckles hopped slowly and carefully around the box, checking it from all sides. She stood on her back legs and checked out the top. I worried that she might try to jump onto the top of it and topple over with it, but she soon went back to all fours and continued her examination. She poked it a few times with her nose and chin. She took a step back and considered the box for a bit longer, probably wondering what she should do next. Although she seemed suspicious of its purpose, I had no way of letting her know it was perfectly harmless.

Finally, she moved to the front of the box and, getting bolder, stuck her head inside. Taking the towels in her teeth, she rearranged them to her liking, but, she still didn’t climb inside. She moved once again to the side of the box for what I thought would be another nosing and chinning maneuver. However, she grabbed the corner of the box in her teeth and ripped a huge slice of the label from the box!

Bush, Cave, or Trap?

Freckles:

I’d checked out the box from all sides, even nosing it in a few places for special examination. I still couldn’t figure out what this thing was supposed to be.

Was it some new weird kind of bush?

Was it the beginning of a cave, popping up from the middle of the clearing?

Was it a trap?

I checked out the soft ground inside, pulling and tugging until I got it moved around a bit. Finally, I decided I’d just have to do what a rabbit’s got to do…I tried to eat it!

The Box Awaits

Deb:

I placed a couple of old towels in the box and set it on its side on the floor of the living room.

Freckles was asleep in her room and hadn’t come out yet for her morning romp. What would she do when she hopped down the hall and saw her new plaything? Would she give it a shove with her nose and then ignore it in a dignified huff? Or, would she jump inside and accept it as a new hunkering down space? I couldn’t wait to find out.

Examining the Box

Freckles:

The object in front of me had two sides, a top and bottom, and a back. It resembled a cave, but was not deep. Poking my head inside revealed to me that the floor was constructed of a soft material, even softer than the ground in the Other World. It wouldn’t make much of a hiding place – everyone would be able to see me. But, the possibility existed that it might have other uses. I continued to examine it carefully.

Deb Gets an Idea

Deb:

I needed some new plastic containers to carry lunch to work, so I stopped at Costco after work one night and found the perfect Rubbermaid 28 piece set. After unloading the containers, washing them, and stacking them neatly in the cupboard, I grabbed the empty box with a plan to break it down for recycling. As I picked it up, however, I had an idea. I headed for the utility room to get an old towel from the rag shelf.

Something New

Freckles:

One morning when I awoke in my Home Place and ran down the tunnel to the Other World, I discovered something new and different sitting in the middle of the clearing. I absolutely, positively, and with all certainty knew that the large rectangular thing had not been there when I left the Other World for my bed last night. I cautiously crept closer to it, then hopped around to check out the back of it. Hmmmm, who could have put this here and what was it for?

Letting Go

Deb:

With the back door barricaded shut, we finished picking up the mess throughout the house. We’d go shopping for a new door next weekend, but I didn’t know of any store where we could purchase some fresh piece of mind. Even though the burglars had not taken anything of great value, they had invaded our home. Our lives had been violated. They had gone through our stuff and searched through the pieces of our history trying to rob us of our hard-earned dollars. I felt angry, livid, infuriated, incensed, furious, and pretty darn mad!

I allowed myself an evening of being outraged, and then I told myself I had to let go of the anger. What was done, was done. We needed to move on. So, move on we did.

Putting Things in Order

Freckles:

The new creature with the shiny middle talked with the High-Voiced One and Big Guy for a long time. Although I worried at first that it might be one of the Invaders, I relaxed after observing that it seemed to be no threat. I even let it pet my nose under the mistaken assumption that it might have special treats to share. No such luck.

After the shiny one left, Big Guy shared it's treat with me and then it worked on the smashed back portal, making terrible banging noises as it pounded the portal back in place. Huge boards now blocked anyone from smashing it in again.

That night I did not sleep well. Every little sound brought me to my feet as I listened for a return of the Invaders.

The Police

Deb:

A police officer arrived three hours after I called. He said he’d been answering several other calls similar to mine – doors broken in with only money (cash) taken. He suspected that the intruders were looking for quick money and drugs. They hadn’t taken any valuable electronic items. The police believed that the culprits were teenagers who would have trouble explaining televisions, computers, cameras to their parents. Or maybe they simply didn’t know where to pawn such items.

He wrote down the information regarding the robbery, gave us a case number for our insurance company, and left.

After we closed the door, I grabbed Freckles and squished her in a huge hug. When I thought about how lucky we were that she wasn’t hurt and how it could have turned out so differently, I couldn't help but hold her. Maybe I'd never let her go.

A Stranger Arrives

Freckles:

It had been a tiring day and I dozed under my favorite tree in the Other World while the high-voiced one sat in the bush. It seemed to be waiting for something as it scribbled on some paper. Big Guy came home and they talked as they cleaned up some of the mess on the floor that the invaders had made.

Suddenly, there was a loud BANG BANG on the front portal. I jumped awake and watched as the high-voiced one ran to pull open it.

A strange creature came into the Other world. This was one I had never seen before. It had shiny objects jingling on its middle and it talked in a deep, booming voice like Big Guy.